ADEN, Jan 11 (KUNA) -- The Yemeni Coast Guard announced that the US Navy have handed them six Yemenis after intercepting their weapons-loaded boat coming from Iran to Yemen a few days ago.
In a press statement on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said their forces in Al-Mahrah Province has received the intercepted vessel and the six smugglers from the US Navy.
On Tuesday, the US Central Command Forces said they had intercepted a stateless boat in the Gulf of Oman smuggling more than 2,000 AK-47 assault rifles while transiting international waters from Iran to Yemen.
It added that the vessel was sailing on a route historically used to traffic weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
"This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran," said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, US 5th Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces. (end) sns.ibi